Everyday, myriads of messages compete for people’s attention and their charitable dollars.  The result is communication clutter and a corresponding increase in donor fatigue.  To compete, a growing number of nonprofits are responding by taking on the marketing strategy of the business community and “Building a Strong Brand.”  Powerful nonprofit brands are more likely to raise more money, attract more volunteers and help more people!  But powerful brands just don’t happen—they are developed by careful planning and extensive work.

“First Kill All the Lawyers.” This partial quote from Shakespeare conveys the exact opposite idea the Bard intended, since it omits the part about the chaos that would befall society if there were no attorneys.  I was at a meeting recently with an Executive Director of a nonprofit and her Board Chair-elect, who was an attorney, and the thought occurred to me how fortunate that organization was to have someone with legal training in that position.  There are few areas of operating a profit-making entity or a nonprofit that do not have the potential for legal ramifications and problems.  That is also true for the activities of the Board of Directors.  That being the case, nonprofits would be wise to have at least one attorney on their Board of Directors, or have ready access to one or more legal advisors to whom they can look for advice about whether or not a problem exists.